Well, as most of you know (or assumed), we are all back.
This final STEM posting is a little bit of an attempt to put the rest of the week into one post.
Thursday was a good day of VBS, our numbers were down a bit, and will probably stay down as the weekend is approaching. The kids that we had were wonderful. And the entire team did a fantastic job.
Thursday afternoon/evening was our great trip to the glacier. After a long drive up Glenn Highway, we finally arrived at our destination. There we signed a waiver (in case anyone died) and headed off.
Pastor Blood took some of the more adventurous ones off the path through some of the squishy ground, while the rest of the group took a longer route. All of us met up at a little glacier lake for photos and even some good glacier water drinking. We then all wandered together farther into the glacier. Finally we reached a tough hill which led to Pastor Blood, Pastor Burman, and a few others to venture off to the high ground. All of the other team members then had a wonderful exercise in team work getting everybody off a hill that was a lot easier to get up than to get down. Many sited this time as a great memory. Our guys really took over and helped everyone who needed it.
Overall, the glacier was fantastic. To think of the immensity of the glacier system in Alaska, and to see the compressed lines of blue ice. Created from the pressure of opened and closed cracks and lines of water. To experience aspects of God's creation most of us had never been around. It was a fun, adventurous, stretching, learning time for all of us.
Friday's VBS was a good time with the kids. We shared the Three Crosses for the Bible story, and said our goodbyes at the end of VBS. This was to be our day to go up Bear Mountain; a long hike to a great view. But the Lord brought us rain, so we went to the Bear Paw festival and wandered through the booths set up and experienced a bit of Alaska culture.
Our extra time allowed us to spend a great time that evening around the table. Pastor Friesner organized a wonderful Italian dinner and really spoiled us. The leaders (Friesners, Raders, Burmans, and Brady) served and bussed our meal of spaghetti and meatballs with a great brownie and ice cream dessert. All of the individual team members then shared what God ad taught them during the week and their favorite memory of the week. It was a wonderful time of praise and laughter.
After that wonderful time, we went up stairs for team devotions and a time for Pastor Blood to share his testimony. Pastor Blood touched all of our hearts as he poured out his life story and how God used, led, and changed him. His story of God's leading him and his family to the mission field of Alaska was an incredible testimony that God can use anyone, no matter what barriers that person (or others) may think stand in the way of being used of God. His challenge to "Give God first choice" in everything in our lives resonated in all of us. There were many tear filled eyes. And God was working in the hearts of our teens.
Which leads me to this.
In the times I was able to spend with Pastor Blood, we had some wonderful conversations about God, who he uses, and this team of teens from First Baptist.
I will share this in our report service, but I want to include it here.
Pastor Blood commented on what a wonderful, gifted group of kids we have. He mentioned that in their mission strips, they have absolutely had more ministry training than he or I ever had in High School, and more than almost ALL Christian teens have. He sees lives that have already been prepared for a life time of service to the Lord. While this obviously means in whatever context the Lord places them, he did emphasize that the Lord calls and equips, and our teens are equipped.
We have a group of young people that he (and I agree) believes God wants to do something special with; and not just for a few summers of their lives.
All around the world, fundamental, Bible preaching and teaching missionaries are getting closer and closer to retirement. Many fields are finding that the next generation of missionaries and pastors and teachers is not large enough to fill the void that will be left in the coming couple of decades. The Alaska field alone could place 12 couples IMMEDIATELY into places that are in need of missionaries.
We agreed that Satan seems to be using the consumer mindset of our generation to convince teens to stay away from ministry. That ministry costs too much, and is a calling that is a waste of intellect and ability. This mind set also is coming from parents. While it is the responsibility of parents and mentors to help a teen as they move forward into the career building, independent time of their lives, that does not meant that the Lord is not leading in the life of their teen. Unfortunately there are those who feel that a young person is being misguided if they decide to first pursue the possibility of God leading them into ministry by starting off their college at a good Bible college. Teens are told that they need to consider the financial and practical aspects of a decision to 'go off/away to Bible college'. I am glad that I was not told that. When my decision was made to go to a Christian college I knew that the Lord still had some leading in my life. I knew that despite the scholarship offers on the table, an acceptance to GMI, and the possibility of even going to school close to home, God wanted me to be in the right Christian environment, because He still had some working to do in my life. Praise the Lord that the only main question I remember my parents asking me was a clarification that THEY weren't pressuring me to go to Bible college! They just wanted to make sure I was going to Christian college because God was leading me, not them. Thanks, Mom and Dad.
We have a group of teens that God is working in RIGHT NOW. To say that decisions should not be made while in this 'spiritual high' is interesting. Should the decisions be made when they get back into the world that Satan uses to pressure and push them.
I am renewed in my prayer for those who are committed to answering the call of God. What better way to equip future Sunday School teachers and deacons and church members, than to start their education and general education classes in some place where they are also being taught the Word, and being taught Western Civ, and English, and Speech, etc. by godly professors and from a biblical point of view.
Whoa! That was a soap box.
Obviously this trip has impacted my life and love for our teens as well.
MOVING ON!!!
Saturday brought a fun-filled day of parade watching, fast-food eating, and souvenir shopping. We ended the day at the airport, anticipating our 11 hours of flying home. We endured an overnight flight with little sleep, and much anticipation of getting home to see our loved ones.
Thank you so much to the many parents who were waiting with open arms at the airport! We were glad to see the faces of those we loved.
Praise the Lord for the tremendous opportunity He has given this STEM team to serve Him in Alaska. We hope you make it to our Report service on July22nd!
Thanks for hanging in there!!
Oh yeah, here are many of the remaining pictures!!
Pastor Dave
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
STEM Trip '07 - Blog disclaimers
Hey all you parents, friends, and family of our STEM team.
Thanks so much for checking out our site.
A few things for you to know!
We only get web access every couple of days, so approving comments and updating the site takes a bit of time.
Also, these are the tip of the photographic iceberg. There will be WAY too many photos to get onto my Picasa web albums, so please be patient, as not everybody gets onto every photo.
We are looking forward to coming home in 4 days!!!
Thanks so much for checking out our site.
A few things for you to know!
We only get web access every couple of days, so approving comments and updating the site takes a bit of time.
Also, these are the tip of the photographic iceberg. There will be WAY too many photos to get onto my Picasa web albums, so please be patient, as not everybody gets onto every photo.
We are looking forward to coming home in 4 days!!!
STEM Trip '07 - Mountains and Fun
STEM ’07
Tuesday, July 10th
Peters Creek Baptist Church
Mountains and Fun
The last two nights we have made treks up into the mountains.
Monday night from 8pm-midnight (still light) we went up to see some falls and then up to the Eklunta Lake, which involved for some, a back of the pickup truck ride to the top. The scenery was well worth the trip up. We got some group pictures and enjoyed the 360 degree view of the mountains.
The boys went home first, while the girls got to wave around an unloaded Smith and Wesson 44 Magnum and an unloaded 12 guage shot gun. It was a good night of fellowship and fun. But, there are still no bear or moose to be seen. Apparently we make too much noise.
It is a good thing everybody took a two hour nap today, or this would have been a late grumpy night.
Tuesday was a hard, fun day. After VBS we got revved up for a trip up to Hatcher’s Pass. Jen Burman was actually here with her FBBC ministry team 10 years ago. She is pretty happy to be with the teens in this place of fond memories.
Once we took the 45 minute drive up to the pass, we all jumped out to hike up a 1000+ foot mountain. Pastor Blood offered the guys a steak dinner if they could get to the top in 15 minutes. They think they did it, but it actually took them about 20 minutes. (Pastor Blood was impressed!) Some of the older and slightly heavier team members (which will remain unnamed) eventually got to the top a few minutes later (well, 20 minutes later). The view at the top was breathtaking. Some of the younger guys pushed off to some higher ground for an even better view. The pictures, as usual, will not do this mountain justice. It was STEEP! But everybody handled it well. Only a few scrapes!
On the way down the side of the mountain, almost everybody got to slide down a long patch of snow! This resulted in some cold, wet pants, but many laughs.
And finally, on the way back to the church, we saw MOOSE!! A baby and a momma moose came alongside of the road. We only had to tell two young people to get back in the vehicles, lest they get stomped.
We got back to the church and spent 2 hours with the Peter’s Creek youth group. I gave a challenge to their teens while our team ate supper. Then we spent an hour and a half snacking and playing with them. We played some high intensity games with a lot of running, pushing, and pain. By doing that on top of all the climbing, we were all pretty worn out, so almost everybody showered that night. (it only took from 9:30-12:30)
It was a great day, and we are looking forward to more good times in the afternoons!
Tuesday, July 10th
Peters Creek Baptist Church
Mountains and Fun
The last two nights we have made treks up into the mountains.
Monday night from 8pm-midnight (still light) we went up to see some falls and then up to the Eklunta Lake, which involved for some, a back of the pickup truck ride to the top. The scenery was well worth the trip up. We got some group pictures and enjoyed the 360 degree view of the mountains.
The boys went home first, while the girls got to wave around an unloaded Smith and Wesson 44 Magnum and an unloaded 12 guage shot gun. It was a good night of fellowship and fun. But, there are still no bear or moose to be seen. Apparently we make too much noise.
It is a good thing everybody took a two hour nap today, or this would have been a late grumpy night.
Tuesday was a hard, fun day. After VBS we got revved up for a trip up to Hatcher’s Pass. Jen Burman was actually here with her FBBC ministry team 10 years ago. She is pretty happy to be with the teens in this place of fond memories.
Once we took the 45 minute drive up to the pass, we all jumped out to hike up a 1000+ foot mountain. Pastor Blood offered the guys a steak dinner if they could get to the top in 15 minutes. They think they did it, but it actually took them about 20 minutes. (Pastor Blood was impressed!) Some of the older and slightly heavier team members (which will remain unnamed) eventually got to the top a few minutes later (well, 20 minutes later). The view at the top was breathtaking. Some of the younger guys pushed off to some higher ground for an even better view. The pictures, as usual, will not do this mountain justice. It was STEEP! But everybody handled it well. Only a few scrapes!
On the way down the side of the mountain, almost everybody got to slide down a long patch of snow! This resulted in some cold, wet pants, but many laughs.
And finally, on the way back to the church, we saw MOOSE!! A baby and a momma moose came alongside of the road. We only had to tell two young people to get back in the vehicles, lest they get stomped.
We got back to the church and spent 2 hours with the Peter’s Creek youth group. I gave a challenge to their teens while our team ate supper. Then we spent an hour and a half snacking and playing with them. We played some high intensity games with a lot of running, pushing, and pain. By doing that on top of all the climbing, we were all pretty worn out, so almost everybody showered that night. (it only took from 9:30-12:30)
It was a great day, and we are looking forward to more good times in the afternoons!
STEM Trip '07 - VBS and church life
Monday - Wednesday, July 11th
Peters Creek Baptist Church
VBS and life in the church
Vacation Bible School has gone very well. Our kids spent late Sunday night transfprming the church into a tropical paradise. I, as the leader only have responsibilities during the opening and the closing. All the other aspects of the VBS are being run by the teens. Each has a day and an area of assignments. And things area going about as well as any STEM VBS we have had.
We have averaged about 20. Which is good in this fishing time of year for Alaskans.
We have had three decisions in three days. Layla, Will, and his brother (his name is escaping me)
We have song time, Bible time, craft time, game time, and some crazy songs that the kids really get into. The local church has been pretty wowed by our kids and all they are doing.
Life in the church is probably one of the most challenging aspects of this trip. We have three rooms for the teens, and all use ONE SHOWER. This means 1 ½ hours in the evenings for the guys and 2+ hours in the morning for the girls. Which equals diminished sleep time.
The team has handles it very well, mainly because of some great volunteer leaders helping in SO many ways, especially in the meals. We have been well fed and well cared for.
Well, more to come in a few days!!
STEM team 2007!
VBS + pictures
Sunday and Canvassing pictures
Peters Creek Baptist Church
VBS and life in the church
Vacation Bible School has gone very well. Our kids spent late Sunday night transfprming the church into a tropical paradise. I, as the leader only have responsibilities during the opening and the closing. All the other aspects of the VBS are being run by the teens. Each has a day and an area of assignments. And things area going about as well as any STEM VBS we have had.
We have averaged about 20. Which is good in this fishing time of year for Alaskans.
We have had three decisions in three days. Layla, Will, and his brother (his name is escaping me)
We have song time, Bible time, craft time, game time, and some crazy songs that the kids really get into. The local church has been pretty wowed by our kids and all they are doing.
Life in the church is probably one of the most challenging aspects of this trip. We have three rooms for the teens, and all use ONE SHOWER. This means 1 ½ hours in the evenings for the guys and 2+ hours in the morning for the girls. Which equals diminished sleep time.
The team has handles it very well, mainly because of some great volunteer leaders helping in SO many ways, especially in the meals. We have been well fed and well cared for.
Well, more to come in a few days!!
STEM team 2007!
VBS + pictures
Sunday and Canvassing pictures
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